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Why are gaming sites like IGN don't have actual gaming journalists

Unk Adams

Banned
why do you even care about gaming sites tho? when was the last time they actually mattered? access is all they have which is also given to normal youtubers and streamers which are infinitely more knowledgeable about these things anyway.
For some people that have been following gaming forums and websites online since the 90's it's extremely sad to see how far downhill everything has gone. Gaming sites and magazines used to report about games and had journalistic integrity. Gaming message boards used to allow debates and free expression. Now every single game site is clickbait propaganda with zero integrity. Most gaming message boards are now either inactive or echo chambers where every poster seems to be an unhinged nutcase who turns everything political or being obsessed with being offended or outraged about something more than discussing actual games.
 
People still go to IGN/Gamespot/Game Informer/Giant Bomb/etc? Why? I thought it was common knowledge that "Gaming Journalism" is a code word for "professional (heh) shills".

2007 Called it wants it's thread topics back!
 

KAL2006

Banned
There's no journalism for games.

Hobby sites can't afford to piss off anyone and serious media will laugh at the idea of publishing anything about videogames that isn't a scare-the-parents story.

Journalism doesn't necessarily have to be a negative thing.

For example you can make a great retrospective video for a game series, the design choices made for a game the lore etc, perhaps get in contact with the creator to get extra insight to make a good article or video.

For new hardware previews why not do research on the actual hardware and give a more in depth look. Linus wasn't negative when he held the steam deck he was actually positive, he measured the heat output with a heat camera. Compared performance with a similar device. He took the new hardware through its paces, while a professional site like GameSpot and Verge would just say yeah it felt nice to hold. It's like these guys don't give fuck about researched and detailed analysis that a youtuber can do a better job than a big site with more resources.
 

Sgt.Asher

Member
The last time i went to ign I saw a joke apple pippin review(last bit of entertainment from them). Never went back after that. I remember ign being fun way back right before the wii was released.
 

RoboFu

One of the green rats
IGN changed a long time ago. Try use to be decent but then one day they changed the whole site and they layout was 95% ads and I knew it was no longer a VG site but more like one of those ad filled download pages for rom sites.
 

MrFunSocks

Banned
Because it's video games. All they need to do is post videos of gameplay, do some reviews, and report on announcements. There's really no need for "journalism".
 

yurinka

Member
I assume they try to do what is more profitable for them: easy and fast to do stuff that generates more clicks.

To do proper journalism would require weeks or months of job to do something that wouldn't generat as many clicks as what they already do with popular games.
 
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BennyBlanco

aka IMurRIVAL69
I could keep going and going but anyone who has followed IGNs podcasts or "the talent" will know that most of them are legit.

they may have went to college, but the operation they run is just clickbait nonsense and reworded press releases. only thing places like ign can hang their hat on is the gravity of their reviews on metacritic, but really youtubers do a better job of reviewing games anyway.
 

Nobody_Important

“Aww, it’s so...average,” she said to him in a cold brick of passion
Because it doesn't matter if they do or not. It's just video games. Outside of a very select few writers in all of gaming journalism people generally don't care who writes the stories or what their qualifications are.


People will click on the story because it comes from IGN and/or if it deals with a subject or IP that they care about. 99% of the gaming community does not care if the person writing it is an actual journalist or just some shmo that got pulled off the street and is being paid 10 bucks an hour. For topics that actually matter and topics that carry emotional weight you actually need someone who was properly taught how to not only investigate the story but also report it accurately and in a way that people can understand.


The leaks surrounding the latest GTA or whatever else you want to choose just does not fall into that category. So there is no reason for places like IGN to seek out trained professionals to write the majority of their stuff. And don't get me wrong I'm sure that many of the people who write stories for these various outlets are qualified in their own right to do what they do, but there is no reason to expect some kind of higher journalistic integrity when it comes to reporting about stuff regarding video games.


It's just video games and clicks are the only thing that matters. If they need to click bait the fuck out of an article in order to get those clicks then they will. And for the most part people are not going to care.
 
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PSlayer

Member
youtubers stole the views from them. Now all they can do is to promote brands to the ever decreasing viewership and get ad money while they still can.
 
Because tits sell ad revenue

DzZDp5DUUAAWTqu.jpg
I like her squat form.

That raised knee will give her more lift on the upswing.
 

BennyBlanco

aka IMurRIVAL69
It's just video games and clicks are the only thing that matters. If they need to click bait the fuck out of an article in order to get those clicks then they will. And for the most part people are not going to care.

pretty much. the other end of the spectrum is waypoint where everyone who works there considers themselves an enlightened intellectual and sniff each others farts all day.
 

Dabaus

Banned
Wasn’t it IGN guys a few months ago but after returnal came out saying how the Ps5 didn’t have any games to play and that they play gamespass every night? Then people checked their play history and neither one played on Xbox in at least 2 weeks?

Last week another Ign guy just flat out said he doesn’t like Sony as the market leader and wants Xbox to be competitive. We’re at Pravda levels of shilling here. You’re in denial if you can’t see it.
 
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Vaelka

Member
Because tits sell ad revenue

DzZDp5DUUAAWTqu.jpg

What does her personal pics for her social media have to do with her work at IGN?
Do you think that if you work at IGN you have to dress and act like a nun 24/7 and in every part of your life?

Alanah Pearce is like one of the last people I think of when I think of '' shitty game journalist ''.
All things considered she was pretty decent.
Some of her slacktivism online is pretty tired but so is dismissing women because they have breasts and don't cover them at all times.

I don't see the same vitriol towards dudes who take pics showing off their bodies because they have a nice one either then all of the sudden they're just chads.
If you see this pic and you think that using it is some '' own '' against her or game journalism then it really says more about you than it does her or IGN.
You actually made me defend IGN and a game journalist here......

I mean game journalists get upset and offended by the existence of fictional breasts ( I don't think she in particular ever has tho ).
And then random dudes online who probably mock game journalists for that get upset when real women have breasts.
Like why do people gotta be so stupid about this all the time?
 
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I just think people take this shit a little too serious. If you don't like the site just don't visit it, and go read something that fits your taste a bit more. I cruise the big sites like IGN for headlines/common mainstream news like any major site for whatever industry - anything going a bit more 'in depth I'd avoid on those types of sites.
 

Black_Stride

do not tempt fate do not contrain Wonder Woman's thighs do not do not
they may have went to college, but the operation they run is just clickbait nonsense and reworded press releases. only thing places like ign can hang their hat on is the gravity of their reviews on metacritic, but really youtubers do a better job of reviewing games anyway.
So you mean to say they ARE journalists.
 

jigglet

Banned
Are they really even journalists? I mean I'm not trying to belittle them. But it seems to me they are more content creators. Real journalism can be seriously hard shit, a very different type of beast to what these guys are doing.
 
What constitutes an actual gaming journalist?
Is this one of those why dont gaming developers have Game Design degrees things?


^Actually has a Journalism and Entertainment Degree.

Most of the contributors to IGN the ones who people know know have done their four years and are interested in gaming (probably the most important thing).
IGN also has really talented editors already so even as a contributor you know someone will be over your shoulder if you arent yet a level 20 journo.
And "freelance" contributors either also have degrees or became contributors on merit.


  • Ryan Macaffrey IGN - Has a Journalism Degree
  • Miranda Sanchez IGN - Has a Journalism Degree
  • Tina Amini IGN - Has a Media, Culture and Communications Degree
  • Lucy O'Brian IGN - Has a frikken Masters
  • Casey DeFri IGN - Has a Mass Comm Degree.
  • Sydnee Goodman IGN - Has a Human Biology degree.....wait what? Ohh yeah she got there on merit.
I could keep going and going but anyone who has followed IGNs podcasts or "the talent" will know that most of them are legit.
Getting a degree doesn’t make you good at your job.
 

SkylineRKR

Member
What does her personal pics for her social media have to do with her work at IGN?
Do you think that if you work at IGN you have to dress and act like a nun 24/7 and in every part of your life?

Alanah Pearce is like one of the last people I think of when I think of '' shitty game journalist ''.
All things considered she was pretty decent.
Some of her slacktivism online is pretty tired but so is dismissing women because they have breasts and don't cover them at all times.

I don't see the same vitriol towards dudes who take pics showing off their bodies because they have a nice one either then all of the sudden they're just chads.
If you see this pic and you think that using it is some '' own '' against her or game journalism then it really says more about you than it does her or IGN.
You actually made me defend IGN and a game journalist here......

I mean game journalists get upset and offended by the existence of fictional breasts ( I don't think she in particular ever has tho ).
And then random dudes online who probably mock game journalists for that get upset when real women have breasts.
Like why do people gotta be so stupid about this all the time?

Alanah heavily promoted Cyberpunk, sat in a Cyberpunk chair and effectively lied to her audience so they would buy this unfinished pos. Then, the game was slammed and she kind of threw it under the bus and stopped raving about it. So when she hypes up the next game I'm like whatever.

Also, the whole pansexual thing right when the flames hit the highest just to score some oppression points. Woman or man, I just don't think she's a good contributor.
 

Don Carlo

Member
Let's not trust IGN, GameSpot, etc, I mean the way they rated Cyberpunk 2077 10/10 was just flawed, and simply explains, most of them are in for $$/PR with companies. The second point, Gaming Journalism; well except few, nobody really commits to a website and calls himself Journalist. This is something that has changed due to Freelancing.
 

Umbasaborne

Banned
Game journalism isnt as profitable as publisher boot licking. And at the end of the day, profits are what the people who run these sites are concerned about
 

Roufianos

Member
There's some pretty decent names at IGN like Daemon, Ryan, Destiny and Tina.

No doubt it's on the decline and full of whiny SJWs too. I mean someone like Jonathan Dornbursh isn't a tenth as insightful as Your Boi Colin Moriarty.
 

AmuroChan

Member
  • Ryan Macaffrey IGN - Has a Journalism Degree
  • Miranda Sanchez IGN - Has a Journalism Degree
  • Tina Amini IGN - Has a Media, Culture and Communications Degree
  • Lucy O'Brian IGN - Has a frikken Masters
  • Casey DeFri IGN - Has a Mass Comm Degree.
  • Sydnee Goodman IGN - Has a Human Biology degree.....wait what? Ohh yeah she got there on merit.
I could keep going and going but anyone who has followed IGNs podcasts or "the talent" will know that most of them are legit.

Having a degree doesn't mean you actually do good journalism. Four of the people on that list are on the management team. Casey works on the Wiki team. Sydnee is a host for their video content. Outside of Ryan who did the Unfiltered Show (one of IGN's few worthwhile content), most of IGN's content these days do not provide journalistic value of any kind. They're either clickbaity articles or repackaging of news that are hours or days old.
 

sircaw

Banned
This kinda draws me back to companies like digital foundry.

I mean, imagine getting an invite from Microsoft to check out one of their new consoles. Do they get put up for the weekend in a nice all-paid-for hotel?. Do they get their travel expenses paid for, free meals, free drinks etc, do they get a nice shiny console to take home with them, what about a lovely piece of silicon to sit on your front desk.

These kinds of things actually worry me in terms of being honest with reviews or critiques.

Are they really going to slap that kind of gift horse in the mouth? I seriously doubt it.

And this is not just a digital foundry issue, this could probably be likened to most media companies i would think.

Everyone wants to get invited to a rockstar conference, say something negative, and you're likely to miss out on all that free swag. contacts and all those juicy first exclusive reviews that come with it.


I want to believe that people's honesty and integrity are strong, but then i look at the number of shills on the forum(you scumbags know who you are) and it kinda puts that perspective into focus, the truth is, it's widespread everywhere.

The only solution i can find, before you take an outlet's word as gospel, read as many reviews as you can and try to find a balance.
 
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StormCell

Member
GAF, I think the wrong question is being answered in this thread. The real question is why do gaming sites like ign not have actual gamers working there?

This is one of my bigger issues with most of the outlets these days. I see these young aspiring journalists who have some interest in games trying to write articles about games that maybe only interests 10% of gamers. And that's fine except it seems like these outfits are only interested in hiring these journalism students who fall outside the mainstream of gaming. Like I think it's great to have a few ladies creating content for the site, and I think it's great to have a wide variety of opinions on the staff. I just don't see anybody who plays 1000 hours of COD or whatever who treats the site gig like his passion project, and that's really what's missing from the formula. It's the whole business-that-sells-video-games-doesn't-care-if-you-know-the-product all over again.

And for that matter, I can't believe we're even debating the origin of IGN and the like. IGN started as a passion project. All of these outlets began as some dude's passion project in the '90s. And it's pretty obvious that the passionate founders have left, and what occupies these sites now is a mere notion of what they once were. The reality is these are just departments of bigger companies now, and as the ad revenue has trickled away from print sites so too has the interest of the faceless ownership to keep and maintain the quality of the publications.

Frankly, I find it piss poor sad that the best content is all in video format. Call me old, but I don't prefer to consume my content as videos. I appreciate a good video every now and then, and the rest of the time I prefer a print transcript that I can quickly skim. It's bullocks that a YouTube channel is basically killing these publications. That is the power and danger of a platform like YouTube. The same goes for Reddit. We're too damn lazy to search Google for a fan forum, but we'll sit on Reddit all damn day apparently.

I'm kind of sick of the damn internet.
 

kyliethicc

Member
This kinda draws me back to companies like digital foundry.

I mean, imagine getting an invite from Microsoft to check out one of their new consoles. Do they get put up for the weekend in a nice all-paid-for hotel?. Do they get their travel expenses paid for, free meals, free drinks etc, do they get a nice shinney console to take home with them, what about a lovely piece of silicon to sit on your front desk.

These kinds of things actually worry me in terms of being honest with reviews or critiques.

Are they really going to slap that kind of gift horse in the mouth? I seriously doubt it.

And this is not just a digital foundry issue, this could probably be likened to most media companies i would think.

Everyone wants to get invited to a rockstar conference, say something negative, and you're likely to miss out on all that free swag. contacts and all those juicy first exclusive reviews that come with it.


I want to believe that people's honesty and integrity are strong, but then i look at the number of shills on the forum(you scumbags know who you are) and it kinda puts that perspective into focus, the truth is, it's widespread everywhere.

The only solution i can find, before you take an outlet's word as gospel, read as many reviews as you can and try to find a balance.
Yup.

Richard from Digital Foundry said Microsoft even sent him a brand new LG C1 OLED TV along with the Xbox Series X for him to use while working on his review of the new console.

Rather... generous of them.
 

Alebrije

Member
Gaming journalism does not exist and IGN knows it ...also.they know the moment they hire some on the people around the industry that call themsleves GJ IGN would be spoiled.

images
 
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SF Kosmo

Al Jazeera Special Reporter
It's strange that IGN is popular and doesn't have actual game journalists. They are basically a PR/astroturfing website.

Even sites like Game trailers back in the old days had these cool retrospective videos and mythbuster videos that looked like alot of research and effort took place to make those videos.

IGN started out as a site with gamer girl pages to now being a site about upcoming games schedule video, top ten list and etc. The videos all just seem low effort.

I'll give a few examples where IGN and other sites failed. Take for example Steam Deck impressions most website had generic impressions like it's feels good to hold. But then you have a YouTube channel like Linus who actually gave decent impressions, heat camera to check heating, showed running with a mouse directly connected and on a monitor. Compared to similar devices like Aya Neo.

Now recently another YouTube channel just exposed the retro game selling market. Which I remember IGN used to astroturf for some of these companies that have been involved in the retro game selling market. Why would a bigger company like IGN that has more resources be stupid enough to astroturf for retro game selling market but a smaller YouTube channel can expose them.
IGN used to have a dedicated retro channel and do a ton of in depth research pieces. But it wasn't just IGN that stopped, pretty much every site did, and the people doing it went off to YouTube and Patreon.

The fact is that the business of web content kind of changed. Where stuff in YouTube is kind of evergreen and can get clicks for years, articles usually get a pop for a week or so and disappear off the web traffic ratings forever. So they end up chasing algorithms and doing content about whatever's current.

It's a drag and it's a big part of why I left gaming journalism (the other just being money).
 

TheInfamousKira

Reseterror Resettler
i like how she cut off part of her head to fit her boobs in the frame.

Me, too.

Also

It's because gaming is slowly going the Hollywood route, probably because of a loud vocal minority on social media sites, they think the crowd to end all crowds and cater ceaselessly to is the progressive left types. This in turn, turns all their coverage into either hit pieces or quirky furry/hentai/I have weird quirky phobias/I'm a black lesbian articles. Game developers are either PART of this crowd, tweeting their lives away, or too old or foreign to understand the nuance that not all Americans or youths are eating this shit up, so they engage with the big sites in a form of symbiotic propaganda. Give us good reviews, and we'll keep giving you advance coverage. It's an interwoven cultural issue. Monkey see, monkey see. Porpoise sees a couple of monkeys doing it, and thinks all monkeys are the same.
 

MachRc

Member
Me, too.

Also

It's because gaming is slowly going the Hollywood route, probably because of a loud vocal minority on social media sites, they think the crowd to end all crowds and cater ceaselessly to is the progressive left types. This in turn, turns all their coverage into either hit pieces or quirky furry/hentai/I have weird quirky phobias/I'm a black lesbian articles. Game developers are either PART of this crowd, tweeting their lives away, or too old or foreign to understand the nuance that not all Americans or youths are eating this shit up, so they engage with the big sites in a form of symbiotic propaganda. Give us good reviews, and we'll keep giving you advance coverage. It's an interwoven cultural issue. Monkey see, monkey see. Porpoise sees a couple of monkeys doing it, and thinks all monkeys are the same.
I have deciphered your vryptic comment.

Hollywood minority is progressive quirky furry/hentai/I have wierd...[boner?]
black lesbian developers are PART too old or foreign so they engage in symbiotic propaganda
Monkey monkey monkeys all monkeys
 

oagboghi2

Member
What does her personal pics for her social media have to do with her work at IGN?
becuase tits sell ad revenue. It's in the post you quoted.

Do you think that if you work at IGN you have to dress and act like a nun 24/7 and in every part of your life?

Alanah Pearce is like one of the last people I think of when I think of '' shitty game journalist ''.
All things considered she was pretty decent.
Some of her slacktivism online is pretty tired but so is dismissing women because they have breasts and don't cover them at all times.

I don't see the same vitriol towards dudes who take pics showing off their bodies because they have a nice one either then all of the sudden they're just chads.
If you see this pic and you think that using it is some '' own '' against her or game journalism then it really says more about you than it does her or IGN.
You actually made me defend IGN and a game journalist here......

I mean game journalists get upset and offended by the existence of fictional breasts ( I don't think she in particular ever has tho ).
And then random dudes online who probably mock game journalists for that get upset when real women have breasts.
Like why do people gotta be so stupid about this all the time?
"well what about...." seriously? :pie_eyeroll:

It's a joke. Who cares.

IGN has a shitton of issues, and has been criticized for years over multiple reasons as numerous people here have pointed out.
 
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Even sites like Game trailers back in the old days had these cool retrospective videos and mythbuster videos that looked like alot of research and effort took place to make those videos.
That content is for YouTubers, and they do it well (some of them).

Why would IGN redo this anyway?
 

oagboghi2

Member
Most of the contributors to IGN the ones who people know know have done their four years and are interested in gaming (probably the most important thing).
IGN also has really talented editors already so even as a contributor you know someone will be over your shoulder if you arent yet a level 20 journo.
And "freelance" contributors either also have degrees or became contributors on merit.


  • Ryan Macaffrey IGN - Has a Journalism Degree
  • Miranda Sanchez IGN - Has a Journalism Degree
  • Tina Amini IGN - Has a Media, Culture and Communications Degree
  • Lucy O'Brian IGN - Has a frikken Masters
  • Casey DeFri IGN - Has a Mass Comm Degree.
  • Sydnee Goodman IGN - Has a Human Biology degree.....wait what? Ohh yeah she got there on merit.
I could keep going and going but anyone who has followed IGNs podcasts or "the talent" will know that most of them are legit.
Journalist degrees are amongst the most useless degrees you can get, right up there next to art.
 

TheInfamousKira

Reseterror Resettler
I have deciphered your vryptic comment.

Hollywood minority is progressive quirky furry/hentai/I have wierd...[boner?]
black lesbian developers are PART too old or foreign so they engage in symbiotic propaganda
Monkey monkey monkeys all monkeys

What?

The fuck?

*I'm* cryptic.

Okay.
 
Most Gaming Journalists aren't, many just straight up bad at video games. Hard to trust those outlets in general.

To be fair, you don't have to be good at videogames or even like videogames to be a good journalist, VG journalist or not.

You just have to have a commitment to unbiased reporting of thoroughly sourced and substantiated facts as you uncover them, for the benefit of the video-gaming public.

It's why people like Justin Schrier are shitty journalists (despite how they want to try to style themselves), as they'd rather indulge in reporting often absurdly biased reporting of oft poorly sourced and/or poorly substantiated facts, mixed in with the most generous helpings of rumour and hearsay, speculation and conjecture; all the while presenting it as incontrovertible truth.
 
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IGN breaking important news to pro gamers everywhere on a disgusting new gamer fuel.

The process of scientific discovery rewards the bold, those who aren't afraid to ask questions and challenge the status quo. Mountain Dew, long known for its rigorous scientific breakthroughs in flavor technology, has now broken through a barrier once thought impossible by the prevailing attitudes of modern flavor physicists and is introducing a new Flamin' Hot Mountain Dew flavor exclusively through the Mountain Dew online store.

The marriage of the two PepsiCo products Mountain Dew and Cheetos doesn't seem like it should work, but I for one have great faith in Mountain Dew's ability to pull this one off. Promising a combination of "sweet, citrus DEW with a new spicy goodness," it's the Mountain Dew flavor no one asked for but they did it anyway, and history will remember them for it. Fondly.

On top of introducing the new flavor, Mountain Dew and Broken Promises are collaborating on an apparel drop to memorialize this momentous flavor occasion (flavccasion). The presale will be available "exclusively to subscribers on the Broken Promises’ app on Friday, September 3 at 11 pm EST," and if you're not a subscriber you can access the line at the Broken Promises website beginning September 4 at 11 am ET.

As someone who unironically loves Mountain Dew, I'm anxious to try this new flavor. I don't let my enthusiasm for the brand cloud my judgement, either. While I loved the new Baja Punch, putting it at or near the top of my own personal rankings, I thought the Baja Flash tasted like carbonated sun-tan lotion.

 
Lots of people leave school convinced they have what it takes to earn a living from a creative career. They are competent writers, artists etc. but nothing special. Probably above average but never spectacular.

They leave college/school with dreams unfulfilled falling into their career path. Still harbouring the delusion that they can make it big if they had time/motivation/energy.

Sites now take advantage of people like this who can bash out a readable 600-1000 words for $15/$20 but who also get the chance to say they are now published. The writers then use this outlet to inject what they really want to write about and bleed personal passions into their articles. Hence the laughable political takes, or maudlin blog entries or the preachy nature of them.
I agree, what is happening is these writers who are not passionate about video games are using these platforms to build credibility to jump into other spaces outside of video games.

The people that are actually passionate about video games aren't given the opportunities to work for these websites and also in recent times those with a real passion for video games just decide to create their own content.

When I think about IGN and even Gamespot back in the day the journalist were very different. A lot those journalist back than are now big video game content creators like Greg Miller, Colin Moriarty, etc.
Because tits sell ad revenue

DzZDp5DUUAAWTqu.jpg
To be fair attractive women have always been presenters in video game media, Just think back to shows like X-Play with Morgan Webb for example or Jessica Chobot who worked for IGN back in the day .
.
 
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iHaunter

Member
To be fair, you don't have to be good at videogames or even like videogames to be a good journalist, VG journalist or not.

You just have to have a commitment to unbiased reporting of thoroughly sourced and substantiated facts as you uncover them, for the benefit of the video-gaming public.

It's why people like Justin Schrier are shitty journalists (despite how they want to try to style themselves), as they'd rather indulge in reporting often absurdly biased reporting of oft poorly sourced and/or poorly substantiated facts, mixed in with the most generous helpings of rumour and hearsay, speculation and conjecture; all the while presenting it as incontrovertible truth.
I was confusing myself, I meant Game Reviewer. Most game reviewers are terrible at video games and shouldn't be giving other people advice. For example most people couldn't finish Returnal, how can they give advice on a game they never finished?
 
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